Occupy Wall Street Has No Idea What It's Protesting For
Michael Moore Joins Disorganized Fray
COMMENTARY | The underground movement known as Occupy Wall Street was originally considered nothing more than a nuisance, but is now looking more and more like the anti-tea party than a passing fad. Recently strengthened by support from Michael Moore, New York labor unions and a cadre of followers in cities across the nation, the movement has taken on a life of its own.
While the idea of protesting greedy government bureaucracies with a leftist spin is tempting in itself, documented police brutality at the first organized protest lent national attention and made the group look like peaceful protesters who were being oppressed by a vindictive New York Police Department.
My primary concern is that, according to The Huffington Post, the group intends to keep protests going until Wall Street meets its demands. If you ask the group what its demands are, you will be told members are still thinking of them. If I call in to a radio station to request a song, I find it helpful to have a song picked out before I call.
This group is going to find it hard to keep the line open while the last song ends and other groups call in with thousands of requests. Of course Wall Street is not a radio station, but without a clear direction I feel like anyone who is influenced by this movement is just as likely to join a cult.
The whole idea of asking for change without a clear schematic is eerily similar to the 2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama. After Occupy Wall Street finally hashes out its list of demands, the manifesto will likely contain a lot of extreme measures that have failed before and a lot of extreme measures that aren't supported by the majority of the people who have marched with the group.
Even though the current administration has done a poor job of implementing the correct policies to help the economy and take a bite out of unemployment, I still consider the American jobs scene to be a viable place to work and find work. Anyone who tries can get a job and afford a decent living. It just doesn't seem like a perilous situation from where I'm sitting.
It is shocking and scary for me to see so many people protesting for social change when the majority of American citizens will never know what hard times really are. When I hear about homeless people using the Internet at Starbucks, it becomes obvious to me that a lot of people's priorities are out of line.
It is too easy for the powers that be to write them off if they spend so much time complaining and so little coming up with a viable alternative to the status quo. If Occupy Wall Street wants to get anywhere, it needs to set realistic goals and map out a clear non-partisan plan to reach them. Right now they look like my Roomba vacuum that bumps into furniture all day long but never really cleans the floor.
Published by Adam Justice - Featured Contributor in Automotive, Politics and Technology
Adam works as an Engineering Technician and Web developer for a civil engineering/surveying firm. His engineering experience encompasses mechanical, architectural, civil and mining. He started designing webs... View profile
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12 Comments
Post a CommentAdam,
have you ever tried to reach out to the nominal leadership of OWS? As a grass roots movement, with bottom up leadership a concrete theme with specific demands will be difficult. As a voice to the growing economic inequity in this country (Per capita income goes up as the numbers requiring access to a safety net also increase) more or less free from violence, OWS gives a rallying point to the unspoken for.
There are jobs out there just not ones that these people want. They want the high paying jobs that require them to do nothing. McDonald's is always hiring, but since this isn't a glamorous job people don't want to work there. I owned a small family restaurant and I can't tell you how hard it was to find and keep good employees (all I asked was to show up on time and work reasonably hard to complete their job). We went through employees like it was going out of style. I hired one guy as a dish washer and on his first day of work (not even an hour into work he went out back for a smoke break). A few days later he asked when he could take paid vacation. He couldn't even complete his work on time. And you wonder why there are no jobs out there...small business can't even stay open because Americans have gotten so lazy but still want to get paid....
I do know people who lost jobs. I also met people who lost the roof over their heads, trying to work while living out of a car, or trying to find a job, oh, maybe by using Internet at Starbucks. One homeless blogger lucked out ~ he got a job driving a city bus (after training, while staying at a shelter) and was able to get off the streets almost as soon as he arrived upon them. Maybe it would be a good idea for you to stop sitting ~ go out and talk to people, especially Occupy demonstrators and homeless people. Another idea is to research the Supreme Court decision that overturned work done by then Senator Obama, Senator John McCain and others who were trying to end government of, for and by the wealthy corporations, rather than of, for and by the people.
I like the song analogy. The protesters do know what they want. As an example they want GE to pay income taxes. When the government gives the wealthy corporations tax breaks, they want to actually see that money trickle down to them in form of jobs that will pay enough to put a roof over their head, rather than giving their CEO's huge raises. Little stuff like that. People that understand the reason for protest, are not likely to join cults ~ the people who need it explained to them, are more apt to be easily brainwashed, to believe untruths told to them by leaders. I guess; I do not know anyone who joined a cult.
love the radio station angle. we'll see what comes of this
The Wall Street Protest is not being covered by major media channels. Amy Goodman, who holds the respect of both liberal and conservative populists is covering the protest on tv and on her site. She interviewed David Graeber, a top professor at Goldsmith' University of London
The Department of Anthropology at Goldsmiths is considered to be one of the best in Europe. David Graeber, whose contract at Yale was not renewed in 2005 because of his political commitment is reportedly is recognized as an expert on economic influences in our lives. Many of the protestors reportedly express his views. Michael Moore is supporting the protest but is not necessarily representing all the protesters views. There is a new "ism" among us and it is Globalism that has arrived on the scene without any real historical portfolio. It is a new "ism" where Socialism, Communism and Capitalism act as one at the altar of greed where money rules all the idealogies.
We trust our article which is showing up on many blogs and sites, also states a major issue related to the protest. The title of the article - is Free trade is economic cancer - Can not leave free trade out of Wall Street protest and other "Occupied" protests are not popping up across the country. One site is gathering information about events at http://napa.patch.com/articles/wall-street-protest-comes-to-veteran-park.
The protests are a place where people of good will can express their hearts and souls about what is happening to the U.S. and other countries in the global economic arena. The main question is this... Who said we had to compete like this with one another for the same jobs in a global economic arena. We do not need any conspiracy theories to know free trade and globalization have not evolved in any natural fashion but have been driven by powerful forces outside the will of the people. It is obvious workers have no voice in the process. This is or should be the essence of the protests.
We invite all to pass on our article and our Art that Talks the issues at http://therationale.com/wall-street-protests-free-trade-cancer/ View and pass on - Pearl Harbor Attack on Workers , Who has the key? Workers are Handcuffed, No Room in the Boat- Hillary wasn't home baking cookies ( All first published in 1994 and updated since then ) and Pres.Obama says free trade is good - I get paid to bail it out.
They're actually protesting because they are completely fed up with their lives. They have stated that they will not leave Wall Street until Wall Street meets their list of demands. They have no list of demands because they are still trying to figure out what they want. If they were protesting an idea just to be heard, it would be different, but they are in effect doing a pasive hostage negotiation. Chris, I invite you to disagree with any of my articles, your opinions are important to me. I do feel like you missed the point on this one though, and my title was changed by editorial staff, so I am partly to blame on this one too.
They know exactly what they are protesting, corporate greed. Isn't it obvious
I'm actually a Democrat Bill. If you are wondering how that could be, I live in Eastern KY. Check out my article on how Obama killed our economy with executive orders and federal agencies who had liberal ulterior motives.I see a ton of "Now Hiring" signs. Like Michele Pointed out, jobs are out there, they just aren't in the Trades people want them to be in. A big part of the unemployment number is that people don't need to work when you get handed 99 weeks of benefits. I would be used to sitting on my #$%$ after 100 weeks too. I can imagine it "But honey, i don't want to work, I want to watch Oprah". "But what about the kids dear. Do we just let them starve now?" "Well, there is always food stamps." So a few people need to put some hours in at their local Mickey Ds, it is humbling and builds character. I spent about 5 months working low paying maintenance jobs for fast food chains, and it gave me a new outlook on life. Here I am 7 months later and I have never made more money or been happier in my life. If you have real skills and real motivation, you will thrive at a 90% employment rate. I mean, if I can't be better than 90% of my competition, that makes me a straight up Loser at the jobs game. I was a loser at the jobs game, but a little time near the bottom makes you respect the road to the top.
"The whole idea of asking for change without a clear schematic is eerily similar to the 2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama."
clearly non partisan
"anyone who tries can get a job and afford a decent living. It just doesn't seem like a perilous situation from where I'm sitting."
Where are you sitting
and is there room for the 9.1% of the freakin country that is out of work right now?